FIJI Water Flying Fijians coach Jake White says Fiji needs to develop the confidence to put opponents under pressure through their scrum rather than taking quick tap penalties, following their 43-15 loss to Ireland in the Nations Championship in Dublin.
Speaking after the match, White questioned Fiji's decision to take a tap penalty in the 60th minute, saying a team like South Africa would have opted for a scrum to put Ireland under pressure and potentially force a yellow card.
White says this could have given Fiji a numerical advantage and an opportunity to score seven points.
He says Fiji is not at that level yet, but developing that competitive edge is something the team needs to work towards.
White also raised concerns about Fiji's second-half performance, particularly the number of tries conceded in the final 20 minutes of matches.
He says the coaching staff needs to determine whether the problem is fitness, limited preparation time, team cohesion or a lack of confidence in sticking to the game plan.
Fiji made a promising start against Ireland, with Josua Tuisova and captain Peceli Yato scoring tries to give the Flying Fijians a 12-7 lead in the first half.
However, Ireland fought back to lead 17-15 at half-time before scoring 26 unanswered points in the second half to secure the victory.
The defeat follows Fiji's 54-17 loss to France and extends their winless run in the Nations Championship to five matches.
Fiji will face Italy at 4.40am Saturday in their next Nations Championship match.
